Hello,

We left Portland, Maine, Thursday morning and travelled to Burlington, Vermont, for a one-night stay. To break up the drive, we stopped at Ben & Jerry’s along the way for some second-to-none ice cream and a tour of the factory itself.

On Friday morning, just before heading home-home and putting an end to our two-week family road trip, we made a special stop at a shop called Happy Trails. This quaint clothing store, in the heart of Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace, carries Life is good t-shirts, mugs, ball caps—merchandise that promotes optimism and acts as a power for positive change. How cool is that? We stocked up on optimistic tangibles and piled into our SUV for the drive home.

Like most people, time is usually at a premium. So, as we travelled the last l-o-n-g stretch of highway, I cherished having time on my hands. I glanced at my watch and breathed a sigh of relief. We would make it back to Ajax in time to pick up our dog Goober from the kennel.

As I sat in the passenger seat that afternoon, staring aimlessly at the road ahead, my mind started reliving the week we spent on Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.). I smiled as I thought of my youngest. Hayden tends to see life on the bright side. He’s happy to just be.

During our stay on the island, my father-in-law and his wife came to visit. We met at a restaurant then returned to the cottage to continue our visit. One by one we filed into the cottage. Everyone, that is, except Hayden.

Conversation was flowing. Hayden stood on the front deck, his little face peering into the kitchen from the screened in window as he listened to the conversation and the laughter.

“Hi Mommy,” his little voice said from the window as he stood outside looking in.

“Hi Sweetie,” I replied. Looking at his cute little face in the big window reminded me of a chat we had in the car on the drive back to the cottage.

“Hey Buddy,” I said, “I found the paper and crayons you were asking about when we were in the car. Do you want to color now?”

“Sure,” he quipped. “Do I have to color out here?” he asked innocently.

“You can if you like,” I replied, “but you might be more comfortable coloring inside at the table.”

“Ok,” he said, “Can you unlock the door so I can come in?”

As so often happens, Hayden had me stunned speechless. Poor little guy. Somehow the front door had locked before he had a chance to come inside. He patiently waited outside. Never did he question why the door was locked. Nor did he question why he was left outside on the deck looking in.

I unlocked the door, let him in, and buried him in my hug. Then, Hayden got busy coloring.

Hayden looks at life from the bright side. He’s optimism in its raw state, not the store-bought kind. Life is good.

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita